The present invention pertains generally to devices that are useful for carrying articles. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a device that can be used as an infant carrier. The present invention is particularly, but not exclusively, useful for an ergonomically enhanced infant carrier that prevents injuries and facilitates the lifting and carrying of an infant (or article), by allowing the person moving the carrier to maintain a proper anatomical alignment.
Infant carriers are a popular way to transport young children. Heretofore, infant carriers have been made available with standard attachments that allow the infant carrier to be attached to strollers, car seats or shopping carts. Still, parents often must pick up and move the infant carrier between such devices, sometimes over long distances. Due to the size and weight of infants, as well as the requirements for compliance with health and safety regulations, presently available carriers are often bulky and hard to carry. Additionally, parents are often required to carry a plethora of infant accessories such as diaper bags and bottles, when transporting an infant. Thus, the typical parent is lucky to have one hand free to hold the infant carrier while walking into a store or out to the car.
Webster defines ergonomics as the science that seeks to adapt work or working conditions to the worker. To this end, a large amount of time has been spent by scientists studying the effects of improper working conditions on workers. This research has shown that improper work methods can cause repetitive stress injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome and most importantly, lower back injuries. Further, improper work methods can cause workers to tire prematurely, leaving them vulnerable to work related injuries.
Heretofore, infant carriers that are capable of attaching to car seats, strollers and shopping carts have generally been composed of a two-part construction including a container and a handle. To pick up and walk with the infant carrier, the first step is to bend at the knees and waist, reach down and grab the handle with one hand. When this is done, the arm is generally kept relatively straight, but is angled away from the body. Next, the carrier is raised above the ground by straightening the knees or torso. At this point, the arm is still straight, and still angled away from the body. Unfortunately, standard carriers typically have straight sides that require the arm of the person transporting the carrier to be angled away from the body during the lifting a carrying process. One consequence of this is an anatomical misalignment that results in additional stress on the back, shoulder, hips, waist and arm. In extreme cases, the whole upper body may become twisted and contorted. Further, for carriers with straight sides, the weight of the carrier is centered significantly away from the body, requiring much more strength to lift and hold the carrier, which can result in muscle fatigue, strain and injury. Also, the configuration of standard carriers does not allow the carrier to rest comfortably against the body and to move with the body as the person walks.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an infant carrier that is easy to lift and hold while walking. It is another object of the present invention to provide an infant carrier that remains substantially still against the body while walking with the carrier. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an infant carrier which allows the body of the person moving the carrier to maintain a proper anatomical alignment while lifting and transporting the infant carrier. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an infant carrier that allows the weight of the carrier and infant to be positioned closer to the body during lifting and carrying. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an infant carrier which is relatively easy to manufacture and simple to use, as well as being comparatively cost effective.
An ergonomically designed infant carrier for lifting and holding an infant includes a container and a handle. For the present invention, the container includes a bottom wall and an enclosing sidewall that has a first edge and a second edge. The second edge of the enclosing sidewall is attached to the periphery of the bottom wall to define or establish a compartment. In this configuration, the first edge surrounds an opening for the compartment. Further, the first edge can be formed with a lip that extends away from the opening.
Relative to the compartment, the sidewall has an inner surface that faces toward the compartment and an outer surface that faces away from the compartment. Importantly, the sidewall is formed with two indentations that extend from outside the infant carrier into the compartment. Accordingly, each indentation creates a concave curvature on the outer surface of the sidewall and a convex curvature on the inner surface of the sidewall. In the preferred embodiment, the two indentations are positioned at diametrically opposed locations on the sidewall. Further, each indentation is positioned between two diametrically opposed, intermediate sections of sidewall which respectively identify the head and foot of the infant carrier. Also, each intermediate section of sidewall has a convex curvature on the outer surface of the sidewall. In this configuration, each intermediate section of the sidewall is positioned between two indentations. Consequently, the enclosing sidewall includes two indentations and two intermediate sections.
For the present invention, the container is further formed with two attachment points that are positioned on the outer surface of the sidewall. Specifically, each attachment point is positioned on an intermediate section of the sidewall. Further, each attachment point is positioned on a different intermediate section of the sidewall and the attachment points are preferably positioned at diametrically opposed locations on the sidewall. Consequently, the indentations are positioned between the two attachment points along the sidewall. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, each attachment point includes a base, a pivot and a pair of stops. The base is attached to the outer surface of the sidewall. Preferably, the pivot is mounted on the base and extends from the base in a direction away from the sidewall. Each stop is mounted on the base and extends from the base in a direction away from the sidewall with the pivot positioned between the stops.
In the preferred embodiment, the handle is elongated and substantially planar, and is formed with two ends. One end of the handle is attached to the first attachment point of the container and the other end of the handle is attached to the second attachment point of the container. Each end of the handle is formed with a hole to receive the pivot at the attachment point. For purposes of the present invention, the pivot can be inserted into the hole of the handle and secured by any method known in the pertinent art. Once the pivot is inserted into the hole and secured, the handle remains free to rotate about the pivot. In this configuration, the rotational travel distance of the handle about the pivot is limited by the stops. In one embodiment of the present invention, the handle is free to rotate until the handle is positioned adjacent to the sidewall. Additionally, an elastomeric grip can be positioned on the handle between the two ends to facilitate easy lifting and handling of the infant carrier. A shoulder strap may be attached to the container to facilitate hands-free carrying of the infant carrier.